Six Things Not to Do After Breast Augmentation

Six Things Not to Do After Breast Augmentation

Posted on 14/11/2019 in Blog

Breast augmentation is one of the most common cosmetic procedures performed each year. This is a great way to help improve the shape, size, and contours of the breasts. When preparing for surgery, there are a lot of steps to follow to minimize the risk of complications and ensure the best possible results. But the recovery time also has a lot of steps to follow so that you can avoid problems and get the best results possible. Dr. Plant will go over what not to do following your breast augmentation procedure. Here are some of the most important items.

1). Do Not Sleep on Your Side or Stomach

During the healing process, it is imperative to follow instructions. One of the most important parts of the healing process is your sleeping position. For a month following your surgery, you are advised to sleep on your back. This is so there is no extra pressure put on your breasts while the implants are setting in. Sleeping on your side or back could alter your results.

2). Do Not Massage Your Breasts

When Dr. Plant performs your surgery he will create pockets for the breast implants that are meant to fit like a “hand in a glove”. It used to be commonplace to have patients aggressively massage their implants to try to create a big pocket which was felt to decrease the risk of capsular contracture. Over time we’ve seen this doesn’t actually work, but it does cause the implants to shift from the precise position that they were placed in, which can lead to complications known as “malpositions”. This bad habit persists in many surgical practices and in advice online, and is a very common reason that patients from other practices will come to Dr. Plant to have breast augmentation revision surgery performed. If you choose Dr. Plant for your surgery then your implants have been placed in a specific position to give you the best possible result, the last thing you should do is try and move them!

3.) Do Not Engage in Strenuous Activity

While your incisions are healing and your body is adjusting to the implants, it is important not to exercise or do any strenuous activity for at least a month. In the first week, raising your blood pressure could cause internal bleeding. Strenuous use of your arms and chest could cause the implants to shift position before the pocket has had time to heal. You may start to do some lower body and light cardio exercises after two weeks, but nothing with the upper body until cleared by Dr. Plant, generally about 4 weeks.

4). Do Not Wear an Underwire Bra

Following your surgery, you will need to wear a special surgical bra that has no underwire while your breasts are healing. After about a week you can switch to any sports bra that provides you with comfort, but you will not be able to wear an underwire bra because the wires can put undue pressure on the incisions in your breast crease and cause wound healing problems. Most patients can go back to normal bras after about 6 weeks.

5). No Tanning

While your incisions are healing, you should avoid as much direct sun exposure on them as possible. Scars tend to tan darker than the rest of your skin, and when you go back to your normal colour, they may not, leaving permanently dark scars. It could take up to a year before the scars are ready for direct exposure so it is important to keep them covered and to use sunblock until they have fully matured.

6). Do Not Soak in Water

While your incisions are healing you should not submerge them in water. Specifically, you won’t be able to go in a bath or hot tub and won’t be able to swim in a pool, lake or the ocean. This could cause issues with the healing incision and potentially lead to an infection which would significantly affect your results. Showering and having running water on the incisions will be ok after a few days but you’ll generally need to wait 2-3 weeks to be able to fully submerge the incisions.

Talk to Dr. Plant

If you are questioning any aspect of the breast augmentation process from consultation to recovery, do not hesitate to talk to Dr. Plant.

Contact the office today if you have any questions or concerns or want to set up a free consultation.